Camping season is almost here and Torontonians looking to escape the city aren't too far from some of the province's best sites. And sights.
But for those without access to a car, Ontario's parks might as well be a world away.
That's why starting this July, Toronto nonprofit
Parkbus will provide regular and affordable bus service from central Toronto to camping grounds throughout the province. Based on similar systems in Europe and elsewhere, Parkbus will charge between $35 and $40 to travel from Toronto to Algonquin, Killarney, Bruce Peninsula and Grundy Lake Provincial Parks.
Boris Issaev, who launched Parkbus three years ago with friend and co-founder Alex Z. Berlyand, was inspired by his own first-hand the difficulties accessing camping experiences.
"I'm a big outdoors freak. Back when I came to Canada when I was 12, our family did not have a car for many, many years and I didn't get a chance to get out of the city until I was 18 or 19," says Issaev. "But once I did I realized what I was missing… And I also noticed that there were lots of people who were stuck in the city just like I was and didn't have the opportunity to experience those great things. Things that are so close to Toronto, yet so far, too."
While Parkbus has been running small pilot projects for the past two years, this summer—thanks to funding provided by
Ontario Parks and Recreation and the
Ontario Trillium Foundation—the initiative celebrates its official launch.
"The project was put forward in three stages" explains Issaev. "In 2010, we basically just approached Mountain Equipment Co-op and asked them if we could just have a table at their store and work on a survey. We collected more than 140 surveys from people. [The results of that survey] really showed us that people actually were very likely to use the service. It really confirmed our suspicions that this was something that could take off."
In 2010, Parkbus was only offered over a couple of weekends, but the initiative was so successful that the next summer in 2011 Parkbus launched an Algonquin Park pilot service running buses every weekend for July, August and September.
Though only running to one park, the response, says Issaev, "was absolutely fantastic." This year they'll service three parks. "It's becoming our full-time job," he says.
Writer: Katia Snukal
Source: Boris Issaev, Co-Founder and Project Manager, Parkbus